With the world’s elevated curiosity in well being and wellness over the past couple of many years, there’s one pure beverage that has emerged as a fan favourite because the finest hangover treatment and hydration resolution: coconut water. Manufacturers like Vita Coco have made this tropical beverage accessible to the plenty, by merchandise like their Pure Natural coconut water and their Pressed coconut water.
Right here’s why coconut water’s distinctive pure profile of wholesome fat and minerals is the superb dehydration resolution.
In my 15 years of expertise as a registered dietitian, I’ve labored with purchasers on every kind of objectives, from long-term vitamin plans to easier objectives like staying hydrated. Whereas many individuals flip to water or sports activities drinks to beat hangovers or to pair with train, I like to suggest coconut water because the neatest thing to drink for dehydration.
To know why, let’s dig into what dehydration is, the science behind hangovers, and how one can add coconut water to your every day routine because the finest hangover drink and hydration assist.
What Is Dehydration?
Dehydration happens when your physique doesn’t acquire the correct quantity of fluids it must operate. It may be brought on by a wide range of circumstances similar to:
- Fever
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Extreme sweat
- Frequent urination
- Alcohol
Once you turn out to be dehydrated, you possibly can develop a wide range of signs, starting from gentle to extreme. The longer dehydration is left untreated, the upper the chance of extreme signs. Examples of gentle to average signs embrace1:
- Much less frequent urination
- Thirst
- Headache
- Dry mouth
- Dizziness
- Fatigue
Extra extreme signs of dehydration embrace lack of urination, fast heartbeat, fast respiratory, confusion, and fainting.
The Crucial Position of Electrolytes
To deal with dehydration, it’s very important to interchange any electrolytes misplaced. A scarcity of electrolytes can influence all elements of well being, from cardiovascular well being to immunity. Electrolytes are minerals that carry an electrical cost, which is launched when the electrolytes dissolve in fluids within the physique like urine or blood2.
When your electrolyte ranges are balanced, the fees from these highly effective minerals assist regulate your coronary heart rhythm, fluid steadiness, and nerve and muscle operate. Alternatively, an electrolyte imbalance within the physique may cause fatigue and negatively influence nerve and muscle operate. For this reason it’s vital to go for drinks with electrolytes when dehydrated. In different phrases, when you’re in search of what to drink for dehydration, water may truly not be the very best resolution!
The Science Behind Hangovers
Alcohol is a diuretic, which suggests it causes an elevated manufacturing of urine within the physique. In different phrases, there’s a motive why you retain working for toilet breaks at completely satisfied hour! Consuming alcohol in extra can dehydrate you and trigger dizziness or weak point. Different frequent hangover signs embrace fatigue, headache, and focus issues — and when you don’t create good hangover habits, you might be making your signs worse.
Whereas some hangover signs could appear gentle, extended alcohol abuse over time may cause way more extreme points. Extreme or persistent alcohol consumption causes a collection of physiological processes that may finally end in kidney injury. To start with, blood quantity and blood strain are decreased after alcohol consumption, which in flip will increase the discharge of hormones like antidiuretic hormone (ADH) and aldosterone.
These hormones then stimulate thirst and water consumption, in addition to the discharge of renin — an enzyme which helps regulate the extent of electrolytes within the physique. In an effort to assist maintain your electrolytes balanced by the onslaught of alcohol, your physique then reduces urine manufacturing.
Electrolytes are minerals that carry an electrical cost, which is launched when the electrolytes dissolve in fluids within the physique like urine or blood.
Whereas decreased urine manufacturing might assist forestall electrolyte imbalance, it can also cease waste from leaving the physique — which might enhance the chance of sickness or an infection within the kidneys3. Treating hangovers isn’t nearly relieving fast signs, it’s additionally about stopping dehydration to keep away from long-term injury. As a Registered Dietitian, right here’s why I’ve discovered coconut water is the very best hangover treatment.
The Dietary Advantages of Coconut Water
So why is coconut water a great hangover remedy drink? Conventional rehydration or electrolyte drinks are likely to fall brief on offering optimum rehydration due to their larger sodium content material. This could negatively have an effect on blood strain and have the alternative of the meant hydration impact. To not point out that many electrolyte and sports activities drink choices include synthetic flavors and sweeteners. General, coconut water is a more healthy, extra pure different to traditional electrolyte drinks to assist with every part from dehydration to hangovers.
Listed below are the vitamin details for one cup of coconut water from contemporary coconuts4:
- 45.6 energy
- 1.73 grams protein
- 0.48 grams fats
- 8.9 grams carbohydrate
- 2.64 grams fiber
One cup of coconut water additionally consists of the next electrolytes, which assist cement its fame as the very best hangover treatment:
- 57.6 milligrams calcium
- 60 milligrams magnesium
- 600 milligrams potassium
- 252 milligrams sodium
My Favourite Coconut Water Model
In relation to recommending a coconut water for hangovers, I like Vita Coco.
Their drinks supply superior hydration advantages because of their pure extraction technique of coconut water. This implies their drinks have the balanced fluid and electrolyte composition of coconut water with none added flavors, preservatives, or colours. And I can personally attest to the refreshing, coconutty taste and hydrating high quality of VIta Coco merchandise. They style nice alone or blended along with your favourite fruit juice or flavored water.
How Vita Coco Can Assist You Hydrate
The nice sources of electrolytes like potassium in Vita Coco assist fast rehydration by offering ample electrolytes — however with out overloading the you with sodium and sugar that may additional dehydrate. This in flip gives quicker restoration, particularly as in comparison with water alone, which doesn’t include ample electrolyte content material.
Why Is Coconut Water the Greatest Hangover Treatment?
Coconut water can mitigate hangover signs naturally by replenishing the physique with vitamins and electrolytes to keep up fluid steadiness. And by treating dehydration, you may also forestall the unfavorable impacts on mobile and molecular immunity brought on by an absence of fluid within the physique. So not solely is it the very best hangover treatment, it’s only a nice on a regular basis hydration resolution.
Why We Love Vita Coco
In relation to selecting your coconut water, there are a number of causes to choose Vita Coco. My preliminary suggestion is all the time the organic model of Vita Coco, which is sourced immediately from natural farms within the Philippines and is made out of a single ingredient: coconut water5. Meaning no added sweeteners, coloring, or the rest — it’s USDA licensed natural and all pure. Even the packaging is made out of plant-based supplies, and we love that there’s really nothing synthetic concerned in any a part of the manufacturing course of.
One other one in every of my favs is Vita Coco’s Pressed coconut water, which is nice for people who find themselves in search of a extra concentrated coconut taste. Some folks simply don’t love the style of coconut water — however Vita Coco’s pressed possibility drinks a bit extra like a contemporary, tropical coconut smoothie. It’s made with natural coconut puree, a little bit of natural sugar, ascorbic acid (vitamin C for freshness!), and a few naturally-derived Gellan gum for texture. This feature is good for somebody who desires the electrolyte advantages of coconut water however with a thicker consistency and stronger taste.
Incorporating Vita Coco Into Your Every day Routine
In relation to including Vita Coco into your weight loss plan, attempt merely swapping one or two of your typical cups of water consumption with coconut water — and even higher, drink coconut water along with common water.
Is Coconut Water Good for a Hangover?
Sure, there’s a motive I like to recommend coconut water as the very best hangover treatment — you possibly can undoubtedly use coconut water to assist forestall dehydration and deal with hangovers! As a dietitian, I might suggest that identical to another beverage that incorporates sugar (pure or not), you need to eat carefully. That is very true on the subject of the Vita Coco Pressed coconut water, as a result of it’s barely larger in energy than common coconut water (60 energy per cup versus 45 energy per cup) and incorporates 10 grams of sugar per serving. To keep away from overdoing it, attempt to restrict your consumption to 16 ounces every day for dehydration, together with loads of plain water.
Realizing how you can forestall a hangover is all about hydration. When you’re partaking in consuming alcohol, make sure you hydrate with coconut water previous to consuming, after which drink one glass of water for each serving of alcohol. When you favor, you might additionally make coconut water cocktails to offset a few of the dehydrating signs of consuming alcohol.
Methods to Stop Dehydration
Hydration is necessary for each day optimum well being, however significantly in conditions the place we could also be in danger for dehydration — like when consuming alcohol, sweating from train or sizzling climate, or once we’re sick and shedding electrolytes.
Listed below are a number of tricks to forestall dehydration, irrespective of the scenario:
- Eat water-rich meals every day like soup, in addition to juicy vegatables and fruits like watermelon, strawberries, peaches, cucumbers, and zucchini.
- Drink a minimum of 8 to 16 ounces of low to no-calorie fluid with each meal and snack you eat all through the day.
- Carry a bottle of coconut water or plain water with you wherever you go so that you all the time have a supply of fluid.
When to Search Medical Consideration for Extreme Dehydration
When you expertise any of the next signs of extreme dehydration, a easy glass of coconut water isn’t going to chop it. Instantly search skilled consideration for medical-grade rehydration when you6:
- Have had diarrhea for twenty-four hours or extra
- Are irritable or disoriented
- Really feel a lot sleepier or much less energetic than normal
- Can’t maintain down fluids
- Have bloody or black stool
Conclusion
As a registered dietitian, coconut water is my favourite drink to suggest for hydration and electrolytes. Vita Coco is a naturally sourced coconut water possibility with a wholesome steadiness of pure sugars, optimum ranges of electrolytes, and a scrumptious and refreshing style.
Hydration is a crucial a part of residing your healthiest life — it’s actually important for the operate of the physique’s cells and regulating fluid and electrolyte steadiness7! Be your personal well being advocate and educate your self on efficient hydration by pure fluids like coconut water.
Sources:
- https://www.well being.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/symptoms-of-dehydration-what-they-are-and-what-to-do-if-you-experience-them
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK541123/
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0741832924001009
- https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/170174/vitamins
- https://vitacoco.com/pages/faq
- https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/dehydration/symptoms-causes/syc-20354086
- https://my.clevelandclinic.org/well being/illnesses/9013-dehydration
